Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Once upon a time, he was Lord Tristan Easton—now he is Crimson Jack, a notorious privateer beholden to none, whose only mistress is the sea. But all that will change when exquisite Lady Anne Hayworth hires his protection on a trip into danger and seduction…

Desperation brought Anne to the bronzed, blue-eyed buccaneer. But after the Captain demands a kiss as his payment, desire will keep her at his side. She has never known temptation like this—but to protect her heart, she knows she must leave him behind. Yet Tristan cannot easily forget the beauty—and when they meet again in a London ballroom, he vows he won't lose her a second time, as fiery passion reignited takes them into uncharted waters that could lead the second lost lord home…

In a Nutshell: Good historical romance but one without a plot other than the romance.

The Set Up: Tristan and his brothers escaped as young teenagers from their murderous uncle who was out to steal the dukedom. Fourteen years later the three men have returned to London. Tristan is the middle brother who has lived the life of a sea captain. He wants nothing permanent until he meets Lady Anne who hires him to take her across the sea to France. But there is no stranger couple than the proper Anne and rogue Tristan.

Why I Read this Book: I enjoyed book one in this series which features Tristan’s oldest brother, Sebastian who was gravely injured as a soldier. So I was looking forward to Tristan’s book.

What I Liked: I know that this isn’t period accurate, but I like how sexually liberated Anne is. She sets sexual limits with Tristan initially and when she’s ready to change them, she does. Anne takes accountability for her actions and is honest with Tristan at all times. Of course, Tristan is yummy enough to tempt her and make this worth her while. Their sexual intimacy doesn’t overpower the romance but is the spice for the relationship, just perfect for a traditional romance set in Regency London.

What I Also Liked: The three brothers have a spectacularly complicated relationship. Sebastian and Tristan are twins with Sebastian the elder and therefore the Duke. Their youngest brother, Rafe, is a total mystery and one I can’t wait to read about. These three men circle each other warily, wanting relationships but not knowing how to do that after fourteen years apart with countless pain behind them.

What I Didn’t Like: Normally I love character-based romances but in this case I missed the plot. There is no mystery here, no bad guy and no one preventing Anne and Tristan being together except themselves. I kept waiting for some external storyline but it never happened and frankly I missed some action. Instead this long novel has just the meandering plot of Tristan and Anne figuring out they loved each other.

IMO: Historical romance fans will be satisfied with this read as I was, though not wowed by it.

J9’s Rating:

About Brianna: Supermom by day, naughty reader by night. Addicted to chocolate, Twitter, her iPad, her Kindle, and 99¢ Kindle deals. You can follow Brianna on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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Some of the books reviewed here on The Book Vixencame from our personal shelves (i.e. books we bought, swapped, got from the library, etc.). Some books we received from authors, publishers, publicists, or third party sites like NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for our honest opinions. Each review states where the book came from (the "source"). We do not receive/accept monetary compensation for our reviews.